Multichannel marketing first became familiar terminology when the internet became part of the marketing mix. At first, the different channels were completely separate. Cross channel marketing has the subtle difference that the channels are connected together. A typical example of cross channel marketing is running an integrated campaign that involves using email and social media channels to reach your target audience and drive it to a website via calls to action. Omnichannel marketing not only uses multiple channels that communicate back and forth, but these channels also work seamlessly together, in parallel, to provide customers with a cohesive experience across all channels. Marketers can learn from Disney
Disney is the master of omnichannel marketing and the de facto leader in the field. It has a stunning mobile-responsive website where users can buy Disney-branded merchandise, purchase Disney movie tickets and subscriptions, and most importantly, book holidays to one of the Disney theme parks.
After booking a holiday on the website, users can download the ‘My Disney Experience’ app to plan every detail of their trip, from accessing real-time wait times and parade showtimes, to using the GPS-enabled map to explore the resort and locate restaurants and other attractions. Furthermore, they can use the app to purchase theme park tickets, browse restaurant menus, make dining reservations and even start the hotel check-in process.
Disney’s brilliantly thought-through omni- channel experience shines at every step of the user journey, which continues with the use of its most unique tool, MagicBand – a secure, all-in-one device resembling a watch or a bracelet that works seamlessly with the My Disney Experience app and allows users to unlock their hotel door, check in at the entrances, charge food and merchandise purchases to their hotel room and even unlock special personalized experiences.
Follow Disney’s Lead
Marketers can learn from Disney that, using the right database and insights to guide you, you can take a page from Disney’s handbook and create a personalized experience for every HCP on your lists. With any luck, your target HCPs will continue to come back for more — opening and engaging with your emails on many subsequent deployments.
Map the journey of the target audience. Whether they are patients or HCPs, we need to understand what kind of information your audience is looking for, and when and where.
Tell a story and meet audience needs at every stage in the journey. It is important to bring the audience along its journey to prescribing or, in the case of patients, to perhaps asking their physician the right questions, by telling a compelling and cohesive story and overcoming barriers along the way
Develop content in a format your audience wants to consume. Modern life exposes us to vast amounts of information, and audiences are overwhelmed and distracted. We need to make it easy for audiences to consume our content using language and lexicon they are familiar with, and provide information in short relevant bites that is actionable in their daily lives.
Measure success and adapt. You probably won’t get it right the first time, and even if you do, fine-tuning will optimise success. Using metrics to measure performance against KPIs is key. And there is an almost limitless amount of metrics that can be derived from digital channels.
